Washing machine



March 18, 1958 L 2,826,905

WASHING MACHINE Filed. Oct. 20, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ROBERT E- LAKE 3 TTORNEYS R. E. LAKE WASHING MACHINE March 1 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1954 FIG FIG,- 5

INVENTOR ROBERT E. LAKE M f ATTORNEYS March 18, 1958 R. E. LAKE WASHING MACHINE 4 SheetsSheet 5 Filed Oct. 20, 1954 i v 4 INVENTOR 1 I g RQBERT E: LAK

% g 4% ATTORNEYS March 18, 195 R. LAKE WASHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ROBERT E..-LAKE- ATTO RN EY United States Patent 1 2,826,905 WASHING MACHINE Robert E. Lake, Benton Harbor, Mich., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application October 20, 1954, Serial No. 463,403 2 Claims. (CI. 68-15) The present invention is directed to an improved washing machine assembly of the type in which an imperforate tub is included within a cabinet, with means being provided within the tub for agitating the clothes contained therein.

In machines of the character described, it is desirable to include a heating element in association with the clothes containing tub both to heat the wash water and to maintain a predetermined temperature in the wash water during the time the wash is being agitated in the tub. The inclusion of such heating means, however, presents several problems in the design of washing machines of this type. For one, the heating means must be small enough so that it can be incorporated in the machine without taking up too much room, while at the same time the heating means should be of sufiicient capacity to eifect the desired amount of heat transfer to the water contained in the tub. Further, the means employed should not be cumbersome to the extent of interfering with the mechanical system employed for operating the oscillating agitator included within the tub. In addition to the foregoing, another problem is presented by virtue of the fact that the electrical heating means must be disposed in an environment of high moisture content so that adequate means must be provided to prevent electrical failure of the heating means by discharges occurring between spaced points on the heating means.

With these problems in mind, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved washing machine assembly with an improved heating element in association with the wash tub.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved washing machine assembly with an electrical heating element which is compact in size and is recessed within the bottom of the tub so that it does not interfere with the mechanical system of the washer but still provides eificient heat transfer to the water contained in the wash tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrical heating means in association with a washing machine in an assembly which is adequately protected against the effects of moisture and moisture vapor.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention, itself, however, both as to its organization, manner of construction and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in elevation, and partially in crosssection, of a washing machine embodying the improvements of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view illustrating the drive mechanism which may be employed, this view being taken substantially along the line II-II of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, illustrating more particularly the driving means and the transmission system employed;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, with parts in elevation, illustrating the manner in which the cover of the washing machine may be removed and reattached to the tub to form a hamper for receiving wash from the wringer assembly;

Figure 5 is a plan view, partially broken away, to, illustrate the wringer mechanism;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the improved heating element used in conjunction with the machine; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the heating element assembly.

As seen in Figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally the washing machine embodying the improvements of the present invention, the washing machine 10 including a generally rectangular cabinet 11, which is provided at its base with a plurality of non-swiveling casters 12 spacing the machine from the supporting floor.

The top of the cabinet 11 is formed with an inwardly extending flange portion 11a, the latter serving to bottom a resilient retaining ring 13. Disposed above the retaining ring 13 is a hollow cover member 14, which has an inwardly turned flange portion 14a, resting on the retaining ring 13 when the cover 14 is disposed in a position in which it encloses a wringer mechanism generally indicated at numeral 15 of the drawings.

The resilient retaining ring 13 also receives flange portions 16a and 17a of a shelf-like flange 16 and a tub 17, respectively, the marginal edges 16a and 17a being secured together by welding or other suitable means. The flange 16 is shown as having a plate 161) secured thereto, open in its center and having a downwardly and inwardly turned edge 16c forming a smooth clothes receiving opening for the tub 17.

As best seen in Figure l, the tub 17 is generally rectangular and is provided with an upwardly sloping base portion 17b. A vertically extending boss or center post 18 is secured to the base 17b by a plurality of bolts or machine screws 19 whose ends are received in threaded engagement in a plurality of internally threaded spacer rods 21.

Extending through the hollow boss or center post 18 is a drive shaft 22 which is keyed or otherwise secured to an arcuately shaped impeller 23 upon whose periphery is disposed a plurality of agitator vanes 24.

The opposite ends of the spacer rods 21 have threaded end portions along which a plurality of nuts 26 are received in threaded engagement, the nuts 26 serving to fasten a support plate 27 in spaced relation to the bottom of the tub 17.

The drive mechanism for the agitator may include an electric motor 39 which is supported in depending relation from the support plate 27 by means of a plurality of suspension bolts 37. The motor 31 has an output shaft 31 to which is secured a pulley 32, with a belt 33 being provided to couple the output of the motor 30 to a pulley 34 attached to a shaft 35. A transmission system generally indicated at numeral 36 of the drawings, transforms the constant rotary motion of the shaft 35 into an oscillatory motion of the agitator, as will be discussed in a succeeding portion of this specification.

The improved heating element used in conjunction with the washing machine of the present invention is best illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings. As seen in these drawings, the unit is provided with a centrally apertured plate 38 which has a contour substantiaily identical to the contour of the base 17b. The plate 38 is spaced from the tub base 171) by a pair of resiliently deformable seal rings 39 and 41? composed of a material such as a silicone rubber which has the ability to resist penetration by moisture and moisture vapor. Thus, when the seal rings 39 and 4% are compressed between the plate 38 and the tub base 17b, there is provided a substantially fluid tight space in which the heating element may be located without substantial danger of an electric arc-over occurring.

The heating element itself may take the form of a relatively thin fiat coil of high resistance wire such as Nichrome wire or the like, the coil 41 being compressed so as to provide a so-called pancake coil which occupies only a very small space: but still has sufficient .heat capacity to provide the necessary heat transfer. The ends of the coil are attached to terminals 41a which extend through an opening 38a in the plate 38 and are energized from a source of electrical power by conductors 41b and 41c. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the coil 41 is preferably combined with a thermostatic dcvice in the electrical system of the washing machine in order to controLthe temperature to within a predetermined range.

The coil 41 is disposed between a pair of electrical insulating disks 43 and 44, respectively, the disks being composed of mica or other electrically non-conductive sheet material, and being secured together with a suitable heat resistant cement. The presence of the disks 43 and 44 provides a further safeguard against the possibility of moisture penetrating to the coil and causing short circuiting between closely spaced turns of the coil 41. The entire heating assembly, consisting of the coil and the two disks 43 and 44 is supported on a sheet disk 45 of asbestos or other material having good electrical and heat resistance properties, and resting on the top surface of the plate 38.

The mechanical drive system for operating the agitator is best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. As evident from these figures, the pulley 34 is coupled to the shaft 35, the latter being provided with a pinion 51 which meshes with a relatively large diameter spur gear 52. -The transmission housing 36 has a boss 3611 which receives an offset pin 53. A nut 54 is threaded onto a threaded portion at the lower end of the pin 53 to locate the pin 53 in position within the transmission housing 36. The spur gear 52 is free to rotate about the upper half of pin 53 as an axis and, in so rotating, oscillates a drive link 55. A pin.56 formed at one of the ends of the crank arm 55 is received in a rotating fit within a boss 52a formed in the spur gear 52. The opposite end,

of the link 55 has another pin 57 depending therefrom and extending within a boss 59a of a sector gear 59. pin 60 similar to pin 53 is located in position within the transmission housing 36 by means of a nut 61 and provides a pivotal axis about which the sector gear 59 may oscillate.

The agitator shaft 22 is provided with a gear 62 which meshes with a series of internal teeth 63 formed in the sector gear 59, as best illustrated in Figure 2. Thus, as the pinion 51 is rotated by the operation of the motor 30, the link 55 causes the gear 62, and hence the agitator shaft 22, to rotate first in one direction, and then in the other direction, and thereby cause oscillation of the agitator within the tub 17. The two extreme positions of the gear segment 59 are illustrated in Figure 2, the solid line representing one extreme position, and the dotted line representing the other. In order to prevent water from running down the shaft and into the gear case, there is provided a comically shaped baffle element 64 on the drive shaft 22, as best illustrated in Figure 3.

The particular machine illustrated in the drawings employs a hand operated \vringer mechanism which is best illustrated in Figures 1 and of the drawings. It will be seen from these two figures that the wringer mechanism includes a pair of cooperating wringer rolls 71 and 72 journalled for rotation between a pair of spaced bearing support members 73 and 74. The lower wringer roll 72 has a shaft 75 extending through the support members 74, and a pivotally mounted operating crank 76 pivotally engages the shaft extension. When the machine is closed, the operating handle 76 may be pivoted inwardly about a pivot pin 77, pivoting said crank to a flattened end 79 of the drive shaft 75 in the lower wringer roll 72, so that the handle 76 is out of the way of the cover 14. Whenthe wringer is to be cmployed, the operating handle 76 may be pivoted about its pivot pin 77 into the operating position illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 5, and secured in this position by sliding a sleeve over the pivot.

When the cover 14 is inthe position illustrated in Figure 1, it serves as an effective shield against dust and moisture entering the interior of the washing machine. When the machine is being operated, however, the cover can be employed as a hamper for receiving wet wash being passed through the wringer assembly. To accomplish this purpose, the rear face of the cabinet 11 is provided with a pair of brackets 78, the brackets being secured to an offset portion 11b of the cabinet 11 (Figure 4). The brackets 78 are formed with outwardly extending angular bent end portions 78a and 78b, respectively. The bent end portions 78b form in etfect upwardlyopening hooks. The bent end portions 78:: provide inclined engaging surfaces, and each have a resilient bumper 81, engaging the back of the cover 14 to prevent marring-the finish of the cover 14. To provide for an engagement between the cover 14 and the brackets 78, the cover 14 may be provided with a pair of spaced slots 14b through which the angularly extending end portions 78b may be received. In this position, illustrated in Figure 4, the cover 14 in its inverted position is detachably secured to the brackets 78 and serves as a collecting hamper for materials being passed through the wringer assembly.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the washing machine of the present invention comprises a compact, readily assembled unit. The particular type of heating means employed also has the advantage of providing eiiective heat transfer without interfering in any way with the mechanical drive system.-

It will be evident that various modifications can be made to the described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a washing machine including a cabinet, a tub mounted within said cabinet, a rotatable agitator means disposed axially of said cabinet, and an agitator shaft arranged to drive said agitator means, an annular plate secured in closely spaced relation to the base of said tub and outside said tub, a pair of spaced electrical insulating disks disposed in the space between said plate andsaid tub, and a substantially fiat, thin coil of high resistance wire disposed between said pair of disks.

2. In a washing machine including a cabinet, a tub mounted within said cabinet, a rotatable agitator means disposed axially of said cabinet, and an agitator shaft arranged to drive said agitator means, an annular plate secured in closely spaced relation to the base of said tub and outside said tub, sealing means disposed be tween said plate and said tub and arranged to provide a liquid tight seal between said plate and said tub, a pair of thin electrical insulator disks disposed in the space between said plate and said tub, and a substantially flat, thin coil of high resistance wire disposed between said pair of disks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 799,112 Thomas Sept. 12, 1905 1,453,640 Russell May 1, 1923 1,820,514 Waller Aug. 25, 1931 1,933,813 Lehrnkuhl Nov. 7, 1933 2,248,007 Michaels July 1, 1941 2,258,215 Paulson et al. Oct. 7, 1941 2,306,232 Smith Dec. 22 1942 2,493,916 Gibson Ian. 10, 1950 2,533,122 Landfried Dec. 5, 1950 2,689,471 Cooper Sept. 21, 1954 2,748,586 Cooper June 5, 1956 

